Investing in women’s empowerment provides the critical leverage required to advance gender equality, poverty eradication and inclusive economic growth.   

Financial institutions are essential partners in this collective mission. By integrating gender equality into workplace-related policies and practices, business strategies and portfolios, products and services, banks can drive meaningful progress towards a more equitable and resilient financial system, and healthier and more inclusive economies that benefit people of all genders. 

How financial institutions can advance gender equality and women’s empowerment 

Banks can influence gender equality and women’s empowerment in multiple ways as an employer, financer, financial service provider and participant in the broader economic, political, and social ecosystem:

  • Gender-responsive leadership and work environment: by providing decent work opportunities in which employees of all genders, roles and levels can participate fully.
  • Portfolio shift: by driving changes in the real economy through corporate and business clients, by integrating gender-focused criteria into due diligence processes and by aligning financial flows with women’s empowerment objectives.
  • Financial health and inclusion: by supporting women, girls and women-owned and women-led micro-, small- and medium-sized businesses to access, use and benefit from financial products and services that ultimately support their financial health.
  • Ecosystem shift: by influencing or partnering with governments, suppliers, and communities to drive systemic change beyond the financial sector.

Access the tools to drive change 

Download UNEP FI and UN Women’s Gender Equality Guidance to access tools, insights, and strategies to make a lasting impact. The guidance includes: